Method and apparatus for analyzing performance of data processing system

• US 6,467,052 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kaler, Christopher G., Wahbe, Robert S., Lovell, Martyn S., Sharp, Oliver J., Ferguson, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BADERMAN, SCOTT T
• Application Number:
  US09/325,469
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 714/39, 714/47, 714/57, 714/46, 709/318, 717/124, 717/127, 717/128, 717/130
• US Class Current: 714/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3096 wherein the means or processing minimize the use of computing system or of computing system component resources, e.g. non-intrusive monitoring which minimizes the probe effect: sniffing, intercepting, indirectly deriving the monitored data from other directly available data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/348 Circuit details, i.e. tracer hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring

Abstract

A method and apparatus for analyzing the performance of a data processing system, particularly a distributed data processing system, provide a system user with tools for analyzing an application running thereon. Information about the flow and performance of the application can be specified, captured, and analyzed, without modifying it or degrading its performance or data security characteristics, even if it is distributed across multiple machines. The user interface permits the system user to filter the performance information, to set triggers which the performance analyzer is able to reduce and/or combine, to observe multiple time-synchronized displays of performance data either in real time or post mortem, and to play and re-play the operation of an automatically generated application model. The invention is implemented in part by providing suitable Application Program Interfaces (APIs) in the operating system of the data processing system.

Claims

1. A system for analyzing the performance of a data processing system comprising:

a control station adapted to control at least one event concentrator to enable monitoring of a process;

an in-process event creator associated with the monitored process, the event creator collecting events generated by the monitored process when enabled by the at least one event concentrator; and

the at least one event concentrator, coupled to the control station and to the in-process event creator, that collects events from the in-process event creator and sends them to the control station.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the in-process event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the in-process event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising:

a dynamic event creator, coupled to the event concentrator, that collects data that is generated on a time basis;

and wherein the event concentrator collects data from the dynamic event creator and sends it to the control station.

5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the dynamic event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

6. The system recited in claim 4, wherein the dynamic event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

7. A system for analyzing the structure and operation of an application executing on a data processing system comprising:

a control station adapted to control at least one event concentrator to enable monitoring of an application;

an in-process event creator associated with the monitored application, the event creator collecting events generated by the execution of the application when enabled by the at least one event concentrator; and

an event concentrator, coupled to the control station and to the in-process event creator, that collects events from the in-process event creator and sends them to the control station.

8. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein the in-process event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

9. The system recited in claim 7, wherein the in-process event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

10. A system as recited in claim 7, and further comprising:

a dynamic event creator, coupled to the event concentrator, that collects data that is generated on a time basis from the execution of the application;

and wherein the event concentrator collects data from the dynamic event creator and sends it to the control station.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the dynamic event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

12. The system recited in claim 10, wherein the dynamic event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

13. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein the application is executing on two or more data processing systems.

14. A system for analyzing the performance of a network comprising two or more data processing systems comprising:

a control station adapted to control at least one event concentrator to enable monitoring of a process;

an in-process event creator associated with the monitored process, the event creator collecting events generated by the monitored process when enabled by the at least one event concentrator; and

an event concentrator, coupled to the control station and to the in-process event creator, that collects events from the in-process event creator and sends them to the control station.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the in-process event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

16. The system recited in claim 14, wherein the in-process event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

17. The system recited in claim 14, wherein a separate in-process event creator can be created and removed by the control station for each data processing system.

18. A system as recited in claim 14, and further comprising:

a dynamic event creator, coupled to the event concentrator, that collects data that is generated on a time basis;

and wherein the event concentrator collects data from the dynamic event creator and sends it to the control station.

19. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the dynamic event creator is coupled to the control station and can be turned on or off by the control station.

20. The system recited in claim 18, wherein the dynamic event creator can be created and removed by the control station.

21. A method of analyzing the performance of a data processing system having at least one program module, a control station, and an event concentrator, the method comprising the steps of:

the at least one program module creating an in-process event creator;

the in-process event creator collecting events generated by a data source within the data processing system; and

the event concentrator collecting events from the in-process event creator and sending them to the control station.

22. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the control station turns the in-process event creator on or off.

23. The method recited in claim 22, wherein the control station turns the in-process event creator on or off by setting or disabling a status condition in the in-process event creator.

24. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the event concentrator buffers a predetermined quantity of the events and only stores the events on request of the control station.

25. The method recited in claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

the at least one program module creating a dynamic event creator;

the dynamic event creator collecting data that is generated on a time basis; and

the event concentrator collecting data from the dynamic event creator and sending it to the control station.

26. The method recited in claim 25, wherein the control station turns the dynamic event creator on or off.

27. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the event concentrator buffers a predetermined quantity of the data and only stores the data on request of the control station.

28. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the at least one program module first creates an in-process event creator reference in the creating step, and further comprising the step of:

a local event concentrator converting the in-process event creator reference to an in-process event creator.

29. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the control station creates the event concentrator.

30. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the steps recited therein can be performed in any suitable order.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for analyzing the performance of a data processing system having at least one program module, a control station and an event concentrator, the computer-executable instructions performing the steps comprising:

the at least one program module creating an in-process event creator;

the in-process event creator collecting events generated by a data source within the data processing system; and

the event concentrator collecting events from the in-process event creator and sending them to the control station.